The European Union will launch a program next week allowing citizens to propose legislation as long as they can get a million signatures on a petition, a democratic drive that some opponents have labelled a “fig leaf”. Under the scheme, which starts on April 1 and is dubbed the European citizens' initiative, the EU will be obliged to consider legislative proposals that have sufficient signatures and support in at least seven of the union's 27 member states. The plan was drawn up by the European Commission, the EU's executive and chief initiator of legislation, as a way of trying to make the bloc more democratically accountable. Surveys often show EU citizens think there is a democratic deficit. “This new right will open a new chapter in the democratic life of the EU,” said European Comissioner Maro Efovi, the leader of the initiative, which was called for in the EU's Lisbon treaty when it came into force in Dec. 2009. “Not only will it provide a direct gateway for citizens to make their voices heard in Brussels, it will also encourage real cross-border debates about EU issues.” The EU has long been sensitive about its ability to connect with the 500 million citizens who are part of the bloc. Most naturally feel a much closer connection with domestic politics.
